Title: "Face the Music" Fandom: Assassin's Creed: BrotherhoodRating: PG/PG-13?Pairing: Shaun/DesmondSpoilers: NoneA/N: AC kink meme fill, originally posted here. Haven't written since the holidays mostly because work is sucking the life out of me. Tried this "lighter" prompt to see if I could get the creative juices flowing. [Edit] Had to go back and fix the cape. Completely forgot it was the Medici cape, not the Auditore one. >__<

Prompt: Okay, so you know in Brotherhood how Desmond has to get back to the villa before morning? And you have a time-limit and stuff? Well I stayed out past the time-limit, and it just transported me back, no one said anything, nothing. SO LAME.

So, here's my proposition. Can I have the modern assassins chewing out Dessy for being late? Or you could just have Shaun be all snarky and stuff. Because snark is awesome. And if you want you can throw in some Shaun/Des somewhere. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE. But if you can do it anon, I bow down to your writing skills. =3=

He hadn’t meant to stay out past his “curfew” but it had been a long day of scouring Ezio’s memories and the cool night air had made him feel so alive. It had been easy to lose himself in exploring the slumbering city, especially after he’d found the first of several artifacts from his ancestor’s time. Once he’d found one, the possibility of more had spurred him on. When he picked up Mario’s sword, a lump had formed in his throat as Ezio’s memories of his uncle returned. Further searching eventually located the belt with its detailed crest—still intact after all the years—and Desmond felt a touch of awe that he could be holding a true family heirloom. Despite how far down he was on the Auditore tree, he was still a descendant. Presumably this belt had passed from father to son through Ezio’s line and now it came to him.

After shaking free of his amazement, he glanced at his watch and realized he was almost twenty minutes past the time he should have returned; the alarm he’d set had gone off without him noticing. He was half-surprised they hadn’t sent out a rescue party. Thinking of the lecture that undoubtedly awaited him, he climbed down from where he’d found the belt and ran back to the villa, his backpack heavy with his treasures and the sword in his hand. It probably made for an odd sight but there was no one out and about to see him.

Lucy was waiting just inside the doorway of Mario’s former office; Desmond had to focus with his other sight to see her in the shadows. Her lips were pressed together in an unhappy line, though he did see a flash of curiosity when she saw the sword.

“Sorry! I found this and a few other things and I just…lost track of time,” he said, trying to sound as meek as possible. Unfortunately, this reminder of his tardiness killed her fleeting interest in his discoveries and her expression closed up.

“We were really worried, Desmond,” she said sharply. “Did you even realize you left your earpiece?” He winced as she held it up; he had completely forgotten about that. “We had no way of contacting you! What if Abstergo had finally tracked us down? What if they grabbed you while you were out…‘treasure hunting’?” The way the words came out—her lips twisting as if they tasted sour—and the dismissive gesture she gave the sword sparked a defensive anger in Desmond.

These things are important! he wanted to argue, though a part of him wondered if that wasn’t just because of Ezio’s influence. Even so, it was still incredible to find them in relatively good condition after all this time. He had thought the team would appreciate that but he could tell Lucy wasn’t in the mood. He bit back a retort and glanced down, hoping the dim lighting would mask his scowl. Arguing now would only add more fuel to the fire.

There was a moment of heavy silence where he guessed Lucy was debating whether to continue her lecture or not, but finally she just turned and headed back down the stairs to the Sanctuary. Desmond followed, noting the rigid set to her shoulders that made it clear she hadn’t forgiven him.

“Geez, finally,” Rebecca greeted them, jumping up from her chair with a frown that matched Lucy’s. “I thought I was going to have to send Shaun out next with a rope tied to him so he wouldn’t get lost too! Where did you find him?” This was directed at Lucy, as if Desmond was no more than a puppy that wandered off and not an assassin. He had the hidden blade with him at all times so it wasn’t as if he was defenseless.

“Desmond, you got lucky this time but that doesn’t mean the danger isn’t still out there.” Lucy exchanged a look with Rebecca, and his stomach sank as she opened her mouth to deliver her sentencing.

“So we’re going by Abstergo’s rules now, are we?” Shaun’s voice cut in as the man walked over, hands in his pockets. His tone held its usual mock-cheer—heavy with a dose of sarcasm—but it was Lucy and Rebecca he was looking at expectantly, not Desmond. Since he was usually the target of the Brit’s biting wit, Desmond joined the women in staring dumbly at Shaun, who went on. “If that’s the plan, we’d better go all the way. 24-hour sessions in the Animus, locking him in his room when we don’t need him, although that may be a bit difficult seeing as there are no doors in this bloody place.”

The trio continued to gape as Shaun made a show of looking contemplative, even rubbing his chin thoughtfully, before snapping.

“You know what, I’ve got a better idea! We’ll get one of those shock collars and an invisible fence. Then if he strays off too far, a little zap! and he should come scurrying right back.” He spread his hands. “Desmond gets to keep his breaks and you two don’t have to get your panties in a twist. Problem solved.”

An even longer silence stretched on now but he seemed to be waiting patiently for their reactions. Desmond was the first to break his daze, at first scowling and then very nearly flipping Shaun off. Instead, he settled for a look he hoped conveyed, Very funny, jackass. Shaun’s lips twitched but he maintained his cool half-smirk. Rebecca put a hand to her mouth and made a sound suspiciously like a snort before looking away; she was probably trying not to crack up. Lucy seemed torn between amusement and outrage, finally settling on exasperation.

“Shaun, that is ridiculous,” she said. “Where would we find that much wire for fencing?” Rebecca let a muffled snicker slip—by now, her shoulders were shaking—and a full grin broke out on Shaun’s face, though he sighed dramatically.

“Fine, just crush my dreams. No one around here ever goes with my ideas!” He stalked back to his desk, dropping into his chair with a huff of frustration but it was clear it was just an act. Lucy turned to Desmond, her previous ire replaced with a familiar glimmer of guilt.

“Look, all I meant was that you have to come back on time. It’s not safe for any of us to go out alone, but especially not you, not when we know Abstergo is out there trying to close the net. And you’ve got to remember your radio.” She held up the earpiece again and this time he took it from her.

“I will and I’m sorry about making you guys worry. I’ll pay more attention to the clock next time.” He glanced at the Animus. “Are we…?”

“No, I think that’s enough excitement for one night,” she said. “I’m turning in. You should probably get some sleep too.” She reached out to touch his arm and he smiled and nodded his agreement. This finally seemed to ease her guilt at getting so angry, since she returned the smile after a moment's hesitation. As she started to walk out, Rebecca followed her with an broad grin.

“Shaun, you’ve got the night shift,” she called over her shoulder.

“What? But the schedule said—hold on, why am I being punished? He’s the one that stayed out late, not me!” Shaun pointed an accusing finger at Desmond but the women were already out of sight; all they heard was the echo of Rebecca’s laughter.

As Shaun continued to stare at the stairs in disbelief—ironically similar to how the three of them had stared at him—Desmond walked over to the table with the spare laptop, careful not to let his own amusement be too obvious. He pushed aside the computer to make more room then gently lay the sword down, setting his bag next to it so he could remove what he’d found.

A weathered but still intact wooden box took up most of the room. The hinges were rusty but functional and Desmond felt a disorienting sense of déjà vu as he lifted the lid. The feathers were long gone but he knew if he concentrated, he would see their ghostly outlines. He closed the box and set it aside, reaching inside the bag again to pull out a large book bound with leather that creaked ominously. The pages were severely yellowed by age and just as brittle-looking. He set it aside without opening it, knowing he wouldn’t be able to read Claudia’s notes in Italian anyway. Next was a bundle of fabric that had faded with time but in his mind’s eye, the Medici crest blazed with its former glory. As he held it up to get a better look, he heard a step behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Shaun had moved closer, though he was still scowling.

“What you got there?” he asked, trying and failing to look disinterested.

“The reason I was late,” Desmond replied. “Recognize anything? All of this belonged to a member of Ezio’s family.” He pulled out the belt and ran his fingers along the filigreed ‘A’ again. Shaun stepped up behind him, leaning into Desmond’s personal space to rest his chin on Desmond’s shoulder. He braced his hands on the table on either side of Desmond, effectively trapping him.

“Hm,” was all he said but Desmond knew later he’d be poring over every inch of the relics. He watched Desmond continue his inspection but when he finally spoke, the words came out grudgingly. “The girls weren’t the only ones worried.”

“So your panties were in a bunch too?” Desmond said then yelped as Shaun pinched his side. He rolled his eyes as he turned to face the other man. “All of you seem to be forgetting that I’m an assassin, not just some kid.”

“So you can deflect bullets now with your fancy blade?” Shaun shot back. “I must have missed the day Ezio learned that.” Desmond chuckled and lifted his hands in surrender.

“All right, point taken, but I already apologized for being late. What more do you want?” His question seemed to be the key to breaking through the storm cloud of Shaun's mood. His scowl immediately melted, giving way to a mischievous smirk.

“I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me. Especially since I got in trouble for trying to defend you and now I have to stay up all night.” He leaned closer and dipped his head to graze his lips ever so lightly against Desmond's throat. The assassin shivered and felt a grin forming in response.

“You’re going to be insufferable tomorrow either way,” he said but his hands were already at Shaun's waist, turning them so that he could press Shaun against the table's edge, pinning him in place with his hips as their mouths met hungrily. When Desmond finally pulled back and went down on his knees, Shaun looked down with a haughty air that was somewhat diminished by his flushed cheeks.

I didn't notice but I'll definitely be looking for that now, as I'm going through a second time. I did notice when Lucy was missing, though, and I kept waiting for the significance to be revealed and then nothing happened. And what's up with the red footprints you can see in Eagle Vision along the path? The first time I saw them was when Lucy was missing so I freaked out, but now I've found that you can see them before that. I've seen some different theories in forums, but most people seem to think it's just supposed to reflect the path Ezio and his family took to escape the villa during the Borgia attack. I was kind of expecting something more significant, but I'm wondering if we'll ever get a straight answer from Ubisoft on it.